Purple ribbons bring awareness

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KELO) –October is Domestic Violence Awareness month.

In Rapid City, purple ribbons with ways to find help, have been placed throughout downtown.

Domestic Violence is a cycle that has been going on for far too long. All it takes is one call to get resources on your side to help.

“It’s really hard for domestic violence survivors to come forward. We know that it takes seven or eight assaults before a survivor picks up the phone and makes that 9-1-1 call. So the fact that they’re calling at all is great, it means that they’re connecting to resources in our community and it’s what we want to happen,” Pennington County State’s Attorney Lara Roetzel said.

However, some survivors might need others to assist them in taking that first step.

“We can’t stop the cycle of violence unless we know about it. We need to know about that cycle of violence before we can stop it, so somebody if that survivor is not strong enough to speak out may need a family member to do it for them, they may need a friend to do it for them,” Lieutenant Paul Stevens said.

“The reason that domestic violence is so unique is because of the interpersonal relationships involved. And it’s also why those crimes are so preventable. It’s because there are family and friends around that relationship that can be a support and help prevent these crimes,” Roetzel said.

Domestic violence can be more than just physical assault and harder for others to see.

“It’s not just physical violence, it’s complete power and control over that person. They’ll use children against them, finances. Not every case is the same, there’s not a one size fits all solution. But there’s lots of people working within the community that want to help the people that are experiencing this to become safe,” Stevens said.

In 2023, 206 domestic violence cases were prosecuted, being second only to possession of a controlled substance in Pennington County.

Resources such as WAVI are available to help those break the silence, and end the cycle they are going through. If you or someone you know is involved in this case, contact local departments to get help right away.

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